Miriam Adelson

Miriam Adelson (née Farbstein; born 10 October 1945) is an American and Israeli physician and billionaire. After her marriage to the founder of Las Vegas Sands Corporation Sheldon Adelson in 1991, she became a donor to conservative political causes in the United States and Israel. The Adelsons donated to the Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign, his presidential inauguration, his defense fund against the Mueller investigation into Russian interference and the 2020 campaign.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

Miriam Adelson
Adelson in June 2019
Born
Miriam Farbstein

(1945-10-10) 10 October 1945
Tel Aviv, Mandatory Palestine[1]
NationalityAmerican
Israeli
EducationHebrew University of Jerusalem (BS)
Tel Aviv University (MD)
Spouses
Ariel Ochshorn
​
(div. 1980)​
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1991; died 2021)​
    Children5
    Awards Presidential Medal of Freedom (2018)[2]

    She is the current publisher of the newspaper Israel Hayom.[9][10][11] She is also a voting member on the board of trustees at the University of Southern California.[12]

    Miriam and Sheldon Adelson were presented with the Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars of the Smithsonian Institution in 2008.[13] In 2013, she received honorary citizenship of Jerusalem.[14] She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Donald Trump in 2018.

    As of June 2021, Adelson is the 44th-richest person, fifth-richest woman, and richest Israeli in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$29.6 billion according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index through her majority ownership of Las Vegas Sands.[15] In the spring of 2023, Forbes estimated her family fortune at $36 billion and ranked her the fifth-richest woman.[16]

    Biography

    Adelson was born Miriam Farbstein in Tel Aviv,[17] Mandatory Palestine in 1945, to parents who fled Poland before the Holocaust. Her father was a prominent member of the Mapam political party. In the 1950s, her family settled in Haifa,[17] where Adelson's father owned and operated several movie theaters.

    With her husband and Donald Trump

    She attended the Hebrew Reali School for 12 years.[18] She served mandatory army service as a medical officer at Ness Ziona. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Genetics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, she earned a medical degree from Tel Aviv University's Sackler Medical School.

    She married Ariel Ochshorn, also a physician, with whom she had two children.[9][19][20] Adelson divorced Ochshorn in the 1980s, and while studying at Rockefeller University, she met Sheldon Adelson, whom she married in 1991. She is credited with influencing Sheldon's political views on Israel[19] and served as one of the 'finance vice-chairs' for the inauguration of Donald Trump.[21] After Sheldon Adelson died in 2021, she became the owner of casino company Las Vegas Sands and is now on Forbes' 36th position for the ranking of The Richest People in The World. Her net worth is $38.2 billion in 2022.[22]

    Medical career

    She became a physician and eventually the chief internist in an emergency room at Tel Aviv's Rokach (Hadassah) Hospital.

    After divorcing her first husband, she went to Rockefeller University in 1986 as an associate physician specializing in drug addiction. She was mentored by and collaborated with Mary Jeanne Kreek.

    In 1993, she founded a substance abuse center and research clinic. In 2000, she and her second husband opened the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Research Clinic in Las Vegas.[9] A strong supporter of Israel, she admitted her heart has always been in that country and that she got "stuck" in America after meeting her husband.[9]

    Support for Donald Trump

    Adelson is known for her support for Donald Trump.[23] She and her husband were the largest donors of Trump throughout his presidency; they provided the largest donation to his 2016 campaign, his presidential inauguration, his defense fund against the Mueller investigation into Russian interference and the 2020 campaign.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

    She has written that Trump "should enjoy sweeping support" among U.S. Jews and Israelis, and that Trump deserves a "Book of Trump" in the Bible due to his support for Israel.[24][25][23] She pushed for the pardon of Aviem Sella who spied against America.[26] Adelson wrote that Trump represents "kinship, friendship, courage, the triumph of truth" and that "Israelis and proud Jews owe Donald Trump our gratitude."[27]

    Awards and recognition

    References
    1. Binkley, Christina (7 January 2019). "Meet Dr Miriam Adelson: the record-breaking Republican donor driving Trump's Israel policy". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
    2. "Trump names Medal of Freedom recipients | 11/10/2018". kinja.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2018. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
    3. Reints, Renae (1 February 2019). "GOP Megadonors Give $500,000 to Legal Fund for Trump Aides Caught Up In Russia Probe". Fortune. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
    4. Stone, Peter (23 September 2016). "Sheldon Adelson to give $25m boost to Trump Super Pac". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 September 2016.
    5. Yilek, Caitlin. "GOP mega-donor Sheldon Adelson 'furious' over Rex Tillerson comments: Report". The Washington Examiner. Archived from the original on 23 May 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
    6. "Adelsons Become Trump's Biggest Donors With $75 Million to PAC". Bloomberg. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
    7. "Sheldon Adelson is plotting a spending spree to help Trump with under 50 days left until the election". CNBC. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
    8. "Sheldon Adelson to donate $100m to Trump and Republicans, fundraisers say | US news | the Guardian". TheGuardian.com. 10 February 2020. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
    9. "Meet the woman behind Sheldon Adelson". Fortune. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
    10. "Miriam Adelson". Hadassah Magazine. 22 October 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
    11. "Miriam Adelson named publisher of Israel Hayom". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 18 May 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
    12. "Trustees – USC Board of Trustees". boardoftrustees.usc.edu. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
    13. "Sheldon G. Adelson and Dr. Miriam Adelson Receive Prestigious Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship" (Press release). Las Vegas Sands Corp. (via PR Newswire). March 26, 2008. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014.
    14. "Grapevine: Honorary citizens". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
    15. "Bloomberg Billionaires Index: Miriam Adelson". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 16 November 2021.
    16. "The World's Richest Women Billionaires 2023". Forbes. 10 March 2023.
    17. "Miriam Adelson". Hadassah Magazine. 22 October 2014.
    18. Takahashi, Paul (8 February 2013). "Adelson Education Campus receives $50 million gift from namesake benefactors". Las Vegas Sun.
    19. "The Brass Ring". The New Yorker. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
    20. "The Adelson Method". Haaretz. 6 March 2008. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
    21. "Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn join Donald Trump's inauguration team". USA Today. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
    22. "Women in Casino: The Top 10 Most Successful (2022 update)". UScasinos. 27 September 2021.
    23. "Miriam Adelson hopes there will be a biblical 'Book of Trump'". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
    24. Komenda, Ed. "Miriam Adelson wants a 'Book of Trump' in the Bible. We asked an expert if that's possible". USA TODAY.
    25. Dolsten, Josefin. "Miriam Adelson hopes there will be a biblical 'Book of Trump'". Times of Israel.
    26. "Trump Grants Bibi's Wish for Pardon of Israeli Who Spied on America". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
    27. "Miriam Adelson: Israelis and proud Jews owe Donald Trump our gratitude". World Israel News. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
    28. "Trump to award Medal of Freedom to Elvis, Babe Ruth, among others". CNN.com. 11 November 2018.

    Further reading
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